Thursday - Nov 24, 2011

When you think of the word “Internet,” what immediately comes to mind? Perhaps it’s your favorite website. Maybe you think of a social media tool like Facebook. For others the Internet is synonymous with ideals like freedom of expression and freedom to information. Those in the tech industry may talk about concepts like voice over IP or organizations like the W3C. And on occasion, someone may respond with a rare correlation: the Web browser.

Take for example the growing number of online services at your fingertips. You can pay your credit card bill online. You can order flowers, make hotel reservations, buy plane tickets, and manage your bank account from the Internet. Want to create and share spreadsheets or text documents online with cloud-based Google Docs? Most if not all of these activities require an important piece of software: the Internet browser. Choosing which browser you use to do these activities can sometimes be nerve-racking, however.

At their core, most Web browsers are the same. The standard browser allows you to go to your home page, go back a page using the “Back” button, and bookmark a site for future use. This sort of functionality is expected no matter the browser. Of course, this inevitably leads to the question “with so many similar options out there, how does one decide which browser to use?”

For those who are relatively new to Internet technology, the answer is usually this: choose one that’s both well-supported and stable. This typically means using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or Apple’s Safari browser. These two browsers have long been a part of the industry, and despite any criticism they receive, they are supported and stable browsers that an Internet newbie needs while learning to use the ‘net.

Yet change is always occurring in the browser industry. Take for example the recent news that when combining both mobile and desktop markets, the behemoth that was Internet Explorer has now fallen below 50 percent market share, compared to its former glory of over 95 percent in 2004. What’s taking Internet Explorer’s place? According to the same report Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari browsers are chomping up market share. Mozilla’s Firefox browser has also had an impact. Why? They tout rapid page loads, standards compliancy, and quality Web rendering; Internet users are being won over in the process. These improvements — coupled with greater support — signify more powerful and stable options for not only those new to the ‘net but also to long-time veterans looking for a change.

What does all this mean for you, the reader? The Web browser on your desktop or mobile device may seem as ubiquitous as the bathroom in your dwelling, but your browser shouldn’t be dismissed as a static mean to an end. Rather, the Web browser should be your friend, which grows and changes with a growing and changing Internet. Why not:

* Try a new browser for a few months and see if you like it. Did you know most browsers allow you to install add-ons and extensions to make your online experience more enjoyable? Examples include the popular Adblock Plus for Firefox, Chrome, and other browsers; CleanPage for Internet Explorer; and Shareholic for most major browsers.

Thursday - Sep 16, 2010

As the gateway to the Internet, your web browser is arguably the most important program on your desktop. In the late 1990s there was a heated battled between the Netscape Corporation (makers of the now-defunct Netscape Navigator browser) and Microsoft (makers of Internet Explorer) –the so-called Browser Wars–for global domination. Microsoft won and for years it virtually owned the browser market. Then along came Firefox, Chrome and Safari, eroding IE’s popularity, which now hovers around 60%.

Personally, I find the latest release, IE8, to be very sluggish and prone to frequent crashes. But since almost 70% of Learn the Net’s readers use IE, I tend to use it too, so I can share the same online experience as you do. When I need to do some serious surfing however, I launch Firefox.

Microsoft has taken criticism of its flagship browser to heart. As of yesterday, it’s made a beta of IE 9 publicly available for download. The company hasn’t said when the final version will be released. According to reports, it may not be until early next year.

So far, the word from the technosphere is very positive. IE9 appears to be speedy, stable and sleek, with a new user interface that promises to improve your online experience: less browser so there’s more real estate to view a web page. Here’s a review of the features.

If you enjoy playing with the next new thing, take IE9 for a test drive by downloading it from Microsoft. Bear in mind that it will run only on the Windows 7 operation system. It’s also a beta release, meaning that you may encounter some bugs. Let us know how you like the new browser.